Spreading and locking device.



Pmnted De.10,1918.

III-IIIIII'EI.

A. KoLKlEwIcZ & M. M. WEINSIEIN. SPREADING AND LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I1. 1918.

ANTHONY KOLKIEWICZ AND MAURICE lVI. WEINSTEIN, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SPREADING AND LOCKING DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed July 17, 1918. Serial No. 245,354.

To all Iwlw/n, z' may concern: A

Be it known that we, ANTHONY KoLKIE- wIcz, and MAURICE M. WEINSTEIN, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne. and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spreading and Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a spreading device for exerting pressure in opposite directions upon opposed members and for locking the same in adjusted position, said device being particularly adapted for locking the leveling pins of a drag supporting table of a molding machine, and its obj ect is to provide means whereby the 'spreading or expanding operation and the locking of the parts in expanded position are accomplished by the operation of a single lever, and further to provide a construction whereby the four pins of a drag table are engaged with an even pressure to effectually lock them in the position to which they are adjusted by being brought into contact with the bottom board of a flask. A further object is to provide certain other new and useful features in the construction and arrangement of parts, the invention consisting in the matters hereinafter more fully described and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which l Figure 1 is a plan view of the drag supporting table of a molding machine illustrating an application of the invention thereto;

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the table anda flask of a molding machine' with the locking device shown in elevation upon the table; and

Fig. 3, is a perspective detail of a pair of locking arms. Y p

Obviously, the invention may be applied to any'T machine or structure where it is desired to create pressure between two mem- 'bers tending to spread them apart, and to hold them in separated relation, but as a use to which the invention isparticularly adapted it is shown as applied to the drag supporting table 1 of a molding machine, which table is provided' in the usual manner, with four pins 2 extending through the table near each corner thereof. These' pins are free to 'slide 'in sleeves '3 xed in, the

table, and the lower ends of the pins are reduced in diameter to form a shoulder on each, which shoulder is engaged by a coiled spring il sleeved on the end portion of the pin between said shoulder and the lower end of the sleeve to normally hold the pin projected from the upper end of the sleeve to the fulllimit -allowed by a cotter pin or stop 5 passing through the pin to engage the lower end of the sleeve and limit the upward projection of the pin by the spring. The table 1 may be supported in any convenient manner, as by a tubular pedestal 6 forming a guide for a post 7 attached to the lower side of the table, so that the table may be raised or lowered by the operator to bring the leveling pins 2 into engagement with the bottom board 8 of a flask 9 which may be of any well known form and construction and may be supported by hangers 10 engaging trunnions 11 on the ends of the iiask, in the usual manner. Should the bottom board 8 not be exactly parallel with the face of the table, the pins coming in contact therewith will yield slightly to compensate for such irregularity, andif, after these pins have adjusted themselves to the board, if they are locked in such position, then, after the clamp indicated at 12 is removed to release the bottom board from the flask, the tablelV may be lowered and the drag of the mold resting thereon will also be lowered, drawing out of the flask. y

If the bottom board'wasenot supported on the table in the exact position in which it is held relative to theask when in place there- "on` the dragwould not draw evenly and would become broken, and therefore the leveling pins yare employed to take care of any inequality andare locked after being brought into contact with the bottom board to hold the pins depressed against the act-ion oftheir springs 4.

To so lock the pins 2, locking arms 13 are provided to engage the sides of the pins within notches 14 cut in the sleeves 3 at the upper side of the table, saidV arms having concaved end faces 15 to engage the pins, and these arms extend radially inward toward the center of the table, there being a pair of arms for the two pins at each end of the table, which pairs of arms having inner" end portions 16` each bent laterally toward thel other arm of the pair with vthese end portions reduced in thickness and overlapped, as shown in Fig. 3, there being a shouldel` 17 formed on each arm or 'bar 13 to' be engaged by the overlapped end portion 16 of' the other arm of the pair. The arms of each pair are thus independently adjustable to provide for variations in distances -be tween the pins of each pair and also to equalize the pressureon the pins when force is applied against these overlapped ends to move the arms outwardly and bring then' outer ends'into ir1n-frietional contact with the sides of `the pins 2, to lock the same in their sleeves.

To move one pair of arms in one direction, and the other pair in an opposite direction, means is interposed between the two pairs of arms to engage their overlapped ends, consisting of a toothed gear 18 pivotally secured upon the face of the table 1 midway between the pairs of overlapped ends of the arms, by a pivot pin 19 secured in an opening in the table, and interposed between this gear and the overlapped ends of the bars 13, are

wedge-shaped rack-bars 20, said rack bars being each of a greater width at one end thanat -the lother end, arranged with their like-ends extending in opposite directions so that when the gear is lturned in one Ldirection by means of a handle 21 thereon, these wedges will be moved endwise to both exert a wedging action between the gear' and the overlapped .ends of the locking bars 13. A reverse turning movement of the gear will withdraw both wedges and release the bars so that the pins 2 will be free to be' moved in their sleeves yby the springs 4. The operating handle 21 is formed integral with a circular ange plate or disk 22 which is rigidly secured to theupper end of the gear so that this'fplate will overlie .the 'wedge racks 20 at its edges and form a guide there- `for to retain them in engagement with the gear.

By providing teeth on the wedges 2O to be engaged by the gear, these wedges are positively forced endwise and a high leverage is secured which inrbetween the gear a-nd locking bars with ample force to securely lock the pins, without great effort on the part of the operator, and when these wedges are so driven in, they lock the barsin contact with the pins without liability of accidental release due to such wedging action.

1 As each locking bar 13 for each pin is independent of its`companion bar, and as the Y wedges engage the overlapping ends of each pair of bars, force will kbe applied equally to the two pi'nslocked by a pair of the bars, and further independent adjustment of the bars or arms is provided for.

`0bviou'sly, changesmay be made in the form, construction and arrangement of lockwedgesand gear and in the size and kproportion of the parts, within the scope yof the appended lclaims and we do not engage said will drive the wedges therefore limit ourselves to the particular structure shown.

What we claim is l. The combination with a table and pins movable in openings in the table, of locking means having opposed members to engage the pins, a rotatable member arranged between said opposed members, and wedge members interposed between said rotatable member and said opposed members and moved longitudinally by a turning movement of said rotatable member.

2. In a molding machine, the combination with a table and pins movable in openings in the table, said pins being arranged at the four angles described by a rectangular iigure, of inwardly converging locking bars to engage the pins, a rotatable gear arranged between opposed ends of the bars, and wedge-shaped rack-bars interposed between said gear and the bars in engagement with said gear. Y 8. The combination with a table and pins movable in openings in the table, said pins being arranged at the four angles described by a rectangulargure, of locking bars to pins at one end and converging inwardly, a pivoted tooth gear arranged between opposed end portions of the bars, means for turning the gear, wedges engaging the opposed end portions of the bars and having teeth engaging the gear.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of lookin members' arranged in pairs with the ajacent ends of 100 the members of each pair oppositely bent and overlapped, and means interposed between the overlapped ends of one pair of locking members and the overlapped ends of the other pair of members to move the pairs of members in opposite directions.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of lookin members arranged in pairs with the a jacent ends of the members of each pair oppositely bent and overlapped, a wedge member interposed between the overlapped ends of one pair of locking members and the overlappingend of the other pair, and manually operable means for moving said wedge member t0 115 spread the pairs of members apart.

6. The combination with a table and pins movable in openings in the table, said pins being arranged at the four angles described by a rectangular gure, of locking bars to engage said pins at one end and converging inwardly, the bars being arranged in pairs with the inner ends of each pair bent in opposite directions and overlapped, and means between the overlapped ends of one pair and the overlapped ends of the other pair, adapted to engage the same and move the pairs of bars in opposite directions to engage theii1 ends with said pins.

7. The lcombination with a table and' pins 130 movable in openings in the table, said pins being arranged at the four angles described by a rectangular ligure, of locking bars to engage said pins at one end and converging inwardly, the bars being arranged in pairs with the inner ends of each pair bent in opposite directions and overlapped, wedging means interposed between the overlapped ends of one pair and the overlapped ends of the other pair to move the pairs in opposite directions, and manually operable means for moving said wedging means.

8.v The combination with atable and pins movable in openings in the table, said pins being arranged at the four angles described by a rectangular figure, of locking bars to engage said pins at one end and converging inwardly, the bars bein arranged in pairs with the innerends oi each pair bent in opposite directions and overlapped, a rotatable member pivoted upon said table, and wedge members interposed between said rotatable member and the overlapped ends of each pair of bars.

9. The combination with a table and pins movable in openings in the table, said pins being arranged at the four angles described by a rectangular ligure, of locking bars to kengage said pins at one end and converging inwardly, the bars being arranged in pairs with the inner ends of each pair bent in opposite directions and overlapped, a gear vpivotally attached to the table, a handle for operating the ear, and a wedge shaped rack-bar at each si e of said gear between it and the overlapped ends of the pairs of Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

